M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Educational and Learning Support) / The research problem addressed in this research essay focused on the teaching strategies that were used by the teacher in the classroom to facilitate inclusion. The investigation was carried out with the aim of exploring these teaching strategies. The South African Constitution supports the inclusion of learners with barriers to learning and development in regular classrooms as a human rights issue. This right is further underpinned by White Paper 6, which compels all the schools to admit and accommodate these learners in their classrooms. One of the aims of inclusion is quality education for all. The change to inclusion implies that teachers are required to adapt their teaching strategies to accommodate all learners in their classrooms. This means that teachers need to be trained in the relevant teaching skills if they are to accommodate the needs of all learners in their classrooms. Qualitative research methods were used for data collection and analysis. The literature review in this investigation was confined to inclusive teaching strategies, the teacher used to accommodate learners with barriers to learning in her classroom. It also included the development of an inclusive education and training system, the principles of inclusive teaching strategies and the role of the educator in response to change. To identify the school and a suitable classroom for observation, purposive sampling was used. Two individual interviews and four observations were used to collect data. Data collection took place in a classroom situation were the researcher observed the strategies the teacher used to include all learners in the classroom. Data analysis in this study was done using the constant comparative method. Findings indicated that the teacher adapted her teaching strategies to accommodate learners with barriers to learning and development in her classroom. The strategies she used were co-operative learning, direct instruction and motivation. She has found the value of collaborating with colleagues and thus began the process of teacher support. The Education Support Services can use the findings of the investigation towards the structuring of training for teachers in inclusive settings.

M.Ed. (Science Education) / The topic of evolutionary theory is new to the South African Life Sciences curriculum, having only been introduced in 2008 to the grade 12 cohort. A great deal of controversy and discussion surrounds the teaching and learning of evolution in many countries, and since the introduction of the topic, including South Africa. The primary source of this controversy arises from the conflict that many Christian and Muslim people experience between what their respective religions teach them about the act of Creation by God and the biological theory of evolution. As a result of its recent inception into South African school, not much research has been done to explore how this topic is experienced by Hindu secondary school learners and teachers. The aim of this study is therefore to address two gaps, firstly to add to the almost total lack of information about the Hindu perspective of the topic of evolution. Secondly, to add to the knowledge base of the teaching and learning of evolution in secondary schools since the scant information available on the teaching and learning of evolution in South Africa is mainly confined to tertiary education. Literature was reviewed on various aspects relevant to this study such as the PCK, NOS, CCC, Hinduism and the teaching and learning of evolution overseas and locally. In order to investigate the lived experiences of Hindu Life Sciences teachers and learners to the topic of evolution a qualitative study with elements of phenomenology was the chosen research design. This prompted the need to use a series of focus group and individual interviews with the various role-players as laid out by the overarching conceptual framework CHAT, the lens through which this study was viewed. Triangulation of data increased the reliability and validity of this study and was obtained by interviewing a Hindu priest as well as Hindu parents of Life Sciences learners. Interviews were transcribed, coded using the coding model by Saldana (2009) and analysed according to common themes. The main finding of this study was that Hindu teachers and learners experience no conflict with the topic of evolution thus displaying a lack of major tensions linked to the CHAT model. Many Hindus are however ignorant of their religion and scriptures but nevertheless remain accepting of the theory of evolution. Their acceptance could be attributed to three major tenets of Hinduism that link to evolutionary concepts: the cyclical concept of time; the evolution of the soul during reincarnation and the idea that during times of calamity, God manifests on Earth in the form of Avatāras. Misconceptions of evolutionary theory abound among learners and to a lesser extent the parents and teachers, particularly with respect to the notion of common ancestry. The teachers had adequate PCK but their knowledge of the NOS was limited. Recommendations emerging from these findings therefore warrant greater attention to the NOS in both PRESET and INSET teacher training courses. These courses can also use the lack of tensions between the Hindu religion and the topic of evolution as a case in point to show that religion and science can exist in harmony with each other. The concept of a nearest common ancestor (NCA) should also be emphasised in these courses – thereby helping to dispel the misconception that humans descended directly from apes.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study explored the effects of a teacher development programme based on Philosophy for Children. One of the challenges facing education in South Africa is that the school curriculum has to promote the development of values, such as respect for life, equality, protection of freedom and the right to an opinion, through creative and critical thinking. The theorists, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky inform our understanding of cognitive development with the important notions of active involvement, mediated learning and the development of thinking skills. Many programmes have been developed to assist learners in this regard. One such programme is Philosophy for Children. This study located Philosophy for Children and the locally developed material, Stories for thinking, in Vygotskian theory and explored its application within a South African context. / South Africa

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (PhD (Education Management))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / unrestricted

The new political dispensation in South Africa has seen a lot of changes taking place. The democratic wind, which has been blowing in all spheres of the political arena, could not leave out Education. This has led to the transformation in education and the revision of the curriculum guided by the Outcomes-Based Education philosophy (OBE). Thus, require education authorities as well as educators to look at education more comprehensively. The challenge posed to educators now is to develop tools and strategies that will make learning accessible to as many learners as possible and to teach for understanding and construction of knowledge. The principal objective of this study was to investigate the important role the learner's prior knowledge plays and the use of different tools and strategies in stimulating conceptual understanding and construction of knowledge of redox reactions. This was done using learners' own investigations, practical activities, teaching settings and a workshop. The findings show that the learners lacked organized and structured prior knowledge. Learners could not integrate prior experience with new experience. The main issue seems to be the failure of learners to relate classroom experience to everyday redox phenomena. Possible reasons are discussed with some implications for teaching redox. The study further postulates that to assist learners to develop conceptual understanding of redox reactions, different tools and strategies should be employed and teaching made relevant to real-life situations. In so doing, redox concepts would not be abstract to learners.

The aim of this study was to find out whether the school history textbooks used in Transkei Junior and Senior secondary schools were adequate in helping pupils meet the demands of their course. The results of the study would be used as argument for or against the assumption that the type of textbooks used in Transkei schools, through their inadequacy in equipping the pupils with the necessary skills for "doing" history, do contribute to the high failure rate in history, especially that they are in most schools, the only recourse for both the teacher and the pupil. In particular the study intended to see what strategies the history textbooks used to aid concept understanding which is crucial to the understanding of history. Twenty three criteria, fourteen objective and nine subjective were used to assess the books for readability and for strategies which might aid concept understanding. Eight books were assessed: four Std 5 and four Std 8 books. The results showed that only three of the eight books catered for the development of skills of learning history and were suited to the level of the pupiils for whom they were intended . History textbooks therefore need to be improved so as to foster the skills of learning history. Their inadequacy could be a contributory factor to the high rate of failure. In-service and pre-service training in methods of textbook analysis can assist in textbook selection and for changes in methods of teaching to supplement shortcomings in books which are commonly used

There is concern that school history is often purposeless, taught by chalk and talk and textbook methods, giving thin and unassimilated information. At a time when subjects are under increasing scrutiny and pressure to justify their existence as relevant in the school curriculum, many of the defects inherent in the 'traditional' approach to history have made it difficult to present a forceful and valid argument for its continued inclusion as a school subject.This has led to the adoption of new approaches which are designed to get pupils more actively involved in their learning. One such approach was adopted by the Schools Council 13-16 project in Britain. It laid emphasis on the methodology of the subject and identified five ways in which history could prove to be a useful and necessary subject for adolescents to study. These were: as a means of acquiring and developing such cognitive skills as those of analysis, synthesis and judgement; as a source of leisure interests; as a vehicle for analysing the contemporary world and pupils' place in it; as a means for developing understanding of the forces underlying social change and evolutioni and, finally, as an avenue to self-knowledge and awareness of what it means to be human (Introduction, p. ii)

I have examined the relationship between the art institution and its social base, and the way in which legitimacy is sought and maintained under changing social circumstances. The social pattern of 'avante garde artist' vs. 'philistine public' has tended to be the context within which 20th century art has developed. The consequent disjuncture between the public art institution and its social base was subsequently accepted as the natural condition of Fine Art production. During the 1980's, two significant factors were to influence this 'natural' condition: i) The demise of 'modernism' internationally, ' which broadened the scope of allowable objects for consideration as Fine Art. ii) Political mobilisation in South Africa was accompanied by calls for democratisation and charges of 'elitism' being levelled against many public institutions. These factors have combined to make the S.A. art institutions (public galleries, tertiary teaching institutions and national art competitions) re-assess their legitimacy, particularly in terms of 'accountability' and 'representativeness' . A close examination of these two factors is essential if one is to gain insight into the current condition of the public art institutions. This research is an attempt to understand the history and the current nature of the shifting relationship between the art institutions and the 'public' in South Africa. A further goal is to assess the extent to which concepts that are valid within the realm of the polity can be transposed into the cultural realm: A tendency prevalent within the cultural debate in South Africa during the 1980's. The emphasis of this mini thesis is on the artworld's perception of its social role. I therefore look at the way changing attitudes are reflected in the statements and writing of leading figures within this sector. The method is to critically analyse texts that pertain to my chosen area of research.

Communicative Language Teaching, an approach to language teaching currently widely prescribed, has been criticised for its unquestioning acceptance of the cultural and political norms of the target language. People's English (an aspect of the larger People's Education movement), on the other hand, offers a philosophy and methodology that takes an actively critical view of language and its relationship to power. In the context of South African society, this stance has had clear political implications. Although still imprecisely defined , the concepts of People's Education and People's English have been debated and discussed by various ant-apartheid movements in recent years. Attempts have also been made to translate the evolving theory into practice through the development of materials and methodologies. This has been achieved on a relatively small scale, with varying degrees of success. Recent reform measures by the South African government have, however, prompted the proponents of People's Education to reassess their position. This thesis presents a historical overview and critical assessment of the development of People's English in South Africa.